Voting-machine.



W. J. 'LAUSTERER.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1906.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. MM

H Mm A; manna:

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO..WASHINGTON. D. c.

W. J. LAUSTERER.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1906.

1,080,014. Patelited Dec. 2, 1913.

2 snnnwkmnm 2.

COLUMN PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. LAUSTERER, OF JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN-MENTS, TO TRIUMPH VOTING MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

VOTING--MACHIN E.

Application filed January 2, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM J. Laosrrnnnn, of Jamestown, in the countyof Chautauqua, State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements 111 Voting-Machines; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference belnghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to voting machines and particularly tothose of the class embodying indicators or keys adapted to be placed bythe voter into cooperative relation with the actuators or operatingparts of registers and the registers whose indicators are left in votedposition are subsequently operated by the movement of other parts suchas an actuating handle or curtaln lever, and it has for its objects toprovide means for automatically, accurately and fully positioning theindicators which have been moved far enough to indicate the voterschoice, prior to registration so as to prevent the loss of votesintended to be cast, but which might otherwise not be counted.

The machines of the class to which my invention is applied have beenillustrated in numerous patents to A. J. Gillespie, the form of registeremployed being shown in Letters Patent to Gillespie No. 799,556, but theparticular arrangement of the parts in the present application isdifferent from that in the patent.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of a part of themechanism of a voting machine viewed from the rear. Fig. 2 is a crosssection on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of thearrow. Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of a portion of what I termboosting bar. Fig. 4: is a sectional elevation showing the relation ofthe boosting bar, interlocking strap, key and pallet bar.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate similarparts.

My present invention is shown herein as applied to a machine of a typedescribed in patents of A. J. Gillespie and others, but it isunderstood, of course, that it may be ap plied to any other type ofmachine.

In the accompanying drawings reference numeral 1 refers to theindicators or keys by means of which the voter indicates hisSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2,1913.

Serial No. 294,067.

vote, said. keys being pivoted and adapted to engage with the palletbars 2 carried in the register casings or channels 3 in turn mounted inthe register frame 4. The registers are substantially of the same typeas that described in the patent to A. J. Gillespie No. 799,556 in whichthe reciprocation of the register frame toward and from the support forthe indicators causes the pallet bar to operate on its register.

Connected with the indicators or keys 1 are the interlocking straps 5,having at their lower end the interlocking wedges 6 cooperating withabutments and blocks in a guide and constituting interlocking mechanism.At a suitable place in each of said straps is cut the recess 7 in whichis left a tooth 8. Mounted in the machine frame and ata suitable andconvenient distance below the teeth 8 of the straps is provided anoscillatory shaft 9 on which are carried cranks 10, and these crankscarry a boosting bar 11, which in the present case consists of a flatbar 12, having projections to form suitable hearings on the cranks 10and at its upper edge is reinforced by an angle iron. One or moresprings 14 are provided on the boosting bar connecting it with thecranks 10, by means of which it is pressed forward toward theinterlocking straps. The edge of the boosting bar is held out of contactwith the straps by the guides 14 arranged at the ends of the machine.one being shown in Fig. 3, which guide 14 has a step 15 therein, soplaced as to delay the inward movement of the bar until it has passedthe teeth 8 of all of the straps that have not been moved and are notcompletely interlocked, it being the intention of this boosting bar toraise only those straps and indicators to voted position which had beencompletely and properly interlocked, but may not have quite reached theposition from which they will certainly operate the pallet bars of theirregisters. It is obvious that this boosting of the indicators or keysincompletely operated. must be done quickly before the boosting of thekeys will be prevented by the forward movement of the pallet bars, dueto the operation of the register frame, and for this purpose I provideon the shaft 9 a crank or lever 16 having a pin 17 thereon engaging withthe cam slot 18 in the cam plate 20 pivoted at 21 to the casing as shownin Fig. 2. The cam plate or lever 20 is driven by the verticallymovingbars 19 (only one being shown), which form part of or are connected tothe mechanism which reciprocates the register frame at toward and fromthe indicators to operate the registers, and are also connected to theresetting bar 22. In the present embodiment the frame reciprocatingmechanism embodies levers 23 having pins 2% operating in cam slots 25 inthe sides of the register frame, the bars or rods 19 actuating theselevers when moved vertically by the barrier operating mechanism. The camslot in the plate or lever. 20 is so formed that as the lever is moveddownwardly, the lower portion will first cause the quick upward movementof the boosting bar, carrying with it the indicators and straps whoseprojections 8 are above the level of the shoulders 15 on the guides 14,carrying these indicators to fully voted position, and then the remainder of the downward movement will move the boosting bar to its lowermostposition again. This quick upward movement of the bar is accomplished atthe beginning of the movement of the operating lever which operates thebars 19 and the register frame and before the register frame has movedfar enough to prevent the upward movement of the straps or rods. Theemployment of this means for insuring the complete operation to votedposition of the keys is found to be advantageous in that it effectuallyprevents the loss of votes which were intended to be cast.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a voting machine, the. combination with movable ballot'indicators,registers cooperating therewith and interlocking mechanism with whichthe indicators cooperate, of amember for actuating to full votedposition the indicators operatively engaged with the interlock, meansfor operating the registers corresponding with the indicators thusoperated and connections between said means and member for moving thelatter to operate and release the indicators prior to the operation ofthe registers,

2. Ina voting machine, the combination with movable ballot indicators,straps or rods connected thereto having projections, registers withwhich said. indicators cooperate, means for actuating the registerswhoseindicators are left in voted position, of a movable membercooperating with the projections on the straps for movingpartially-operated indicators'to voted position actuating andconnections between the means and member for operating the latter beforethe operation of the registers.

In a voting machine, the combination with ballotindicators, rods orstraps con nected thereto having projections, and a movable bar adaptedto cooperate with the projections, of a movable cam cooperatingmediately with the bar to operate and return it by a single movement inone dimotion.

4:. In a voting machine, the combination with ballot indicators, rods orstraps connected thereto, and a movable bar adapted to cooperate withthe rods or straps to move them to voted position, of the registerframe, registers thereon, means for operating the frame relatively tothe indicators and connections between said means and the bar foroperating the latter.

In a voting machine, the combination with ballot indicators, rods orstraps connected thereto, a movable bar adapted to coopc'ate with thestraps when the latter are partially operated, a pivoted arm connectedto the bar and a movable cam cooperating wit-h said arm to move the barand straps and disengage the bar therefrom by a movement in onedirection.

6. In a voting machine, the combination with the indicators and thestraps connected thereto, the relatively movable register frame, and theregisters thereon corresponding to the indicators, of the shaft, thereciprocatory bar connected thereto cooperating mediately with theindicators, the arm on the shaft, the oscillatory cam with which the armcooperates and connections between the cam and the register frame.

7. In a voting machine, the combination with the indicators, and thestraps connected thereto, of the reciprocatory bar adapted to cooperatewith the straps, during a portion of its movement, guides for the barand the movable cant actuating and returning the bar during a movementin one direction.

8. In a voting machine, the combination with the indicators and thestraps connected thereto, of the shaft having the arm: thereon, the barconnected to the shaft and adapted to cooperate with and operate thestraps when moved in one direction and the movable cam plate engagingthe lever on the shaft to actuate the latter.

9. The combination with the indicators, the straps connected thereto,the movable bar adapted to cooperate with. the straps, the oscillatoryshaft connected to the bar, and the lever having the cam thereonengaging theshaft, of the vertically-movable rods connected to andcooperating with the cam lever to actuate it, the registers and. theregister frame actuated by the rods.

10. In a voting machine, the combination of a movable ballot indicator,a register to cooperate therewith, means operable independent-1y of themovement of the indicator for operating the register and means-attachedto the ballot indicator at a certain point and moving substantiallyparallel to the movement of the point of attachment, and means forcooperating with said means for moving the indicator when partiallyoperated into full cooperative relation with its register.

11. The combination in a voting machine of ballot indicators, arrangedin rows and movable into and out of voted position, straps or rodsconnected thereto having projections thereon, a bar extending parallelto said rows of keys and being movable side- Wise to engage with theprojections on the straps of any such keys as have been par- 10 WILLIAMJ. LAUSTERER.

Witnesses:

ALEXANDER CoRoILIM, HENRY H. CHASE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

